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Topic: A few words about the Arillas Community Spirit (Read 13086 times)

The Arillas Business Association together with the local Councillors and people of Arillas have achieved to have the beach-front and the rest of the village in a good state before the season started .In the winter months meetings and small conferences were taking place in order to keep everyone informed and able to contribute with their own opinions and ideas. Having taken seriously under consideration the results of the Arillas Survey form 2012-13, we followed the rule to improve but not spoil our Arillas by choosing carefully all actions and necessary developments.The community spirit within the Arillas business-people is a vital fact that has to be kept going for the next years. The work that this year has been done by the business-owners is:

Repairing and improving the look of the beach-front lights.

Creation of a wooden pedestrian at the left part of the beach-street.

Tiding up some of the private and public signs in order to give a good example of how signs should be.

Creation of more rubbish-bin-housings.

Planting more native trees, flowers and plants at the beach front. (These trees used to grow naturaly in Arillas beach before the hotels and bars where build.)

Creation and placement of 10 wooden small litter bins at the beach that the business owners of the front would be caring for them.

Repairing the surface of the pier.

Repairing the beach Showers.

Maintenance of the Arillas trail.

All these actions have been initiated by the community spirit of the Arillas people who live and work in this area. It was the ultimate move to respond to the loyalty of all of you that keep coming year by year and to welcome the newcomers with respect. We are trying to keep your holiday destination clean and tidy with our basic resources and very little help from the governmental services. I must say It WAS NOT EASY.... It is important that more and more local business-owners should take part in this actions in the future. Our aim is to keep Arillas AS IT IS .The identity of our Arillas as a holiday destination is based on :

Our natural environment

The sea and sun

Family-run accommodation

Quality restaurants and good Greek food

Quality of the beach

High rate of repeating visitors

The hospitality of the local people

Beach quality

Recommendation from friends and family

The use of social media

The organisation of local events.

In order to keep this spirit going, it would be very nice of you to keep mentioning to every establishment that you visit in Arillas and the surrounding areas about the good impact that these initiatives have to your holidays.

Well said Dimitri - we were pleased to help a little this year as we were here early. It was quite an eye opener for us to see everyone pulling together. I would just like to say how much we appreciate all that you do for Arillas in keeping it a place we love to return to - again and again. Thank you, lots of love and respect Anne xx

I think, as a forum, we should draft a "letter of thanks" that could be pinned to the notice board by the jetty. I am sure that Phil could word it to perfection, and at least it would display out gratitude in a public way to the Arillas Business Association and the people of Arillas.

I will keep the following list, at hand, for repeating on other websites if that is Ok?

The identity of our Arillas as a holiday destination is based on :

Our natural environmentThe sea and sunFamily-run accommodationQuality restaurants and good Greek foodQuality of the beachHigh rate of repeating visitorsThe hospitality of the local peopleBeach qualityRecommendation from friends and familyThe use of social mediaThe organisation of local events.Just one to add - A very unique micro brewery with award winning beers.

This wonderful place, and in particular the sympathetic improvements ensure that we will always continue to visit Arillas. We are very excited to see all the changes for ourselves. To anyone who berates us for not going anywhere else I always say, you cannot comment until you have visited yourself. Even my 19 year old son who has been visiting Arillas since he was 1, is bereft that he is visiting another country with his girlfriend this year and not Arillas. I just know that next year he will be back.

One of the reasons that brings us back to Arillas time and time again is the welcome we get from all the people of Arillas.

We love the fact that nothing really changes.... it only improves. This year the improvements reflect the pride the business owners have in providing a sympathetic but greatly appreciated improvement along the beach front, as John stated....Arillas as it is. To Bill and I Arillas is always beautiful but this year it is extra beautiful.

So thank you to The Arillas Business Association and the People of Arillas for these improvements and also for opening up the new safe part of the "donkey track" this week.

Seems the Arillas businesses are improving all the time, well done Dimitris and everyone else concerned. It was 10 years ago I made my first visit to Arillas gawd time flies, I've returned 4 or 5 times since then, memory is not what it used to be, 2011 was the last time. I return again this weekend coming so it will be interesting to see all the changes, especially the restaurants, We usually cover every restaurant on the seafront for our evening meals during the course of the holiday unless Eileen gets the barbie out , quality was great in each one 10 years ago how much more can it improve:-)

The addition of WiFi in many places now is a bonus to these who need it while on holidays. Get rid of the Mossies and it will be perfect

I have watched Arillas and its business owners develop over the last 12 years. For reasons unknown to me then, I took them to my heart the day I arrived in 2002. They have provided me with a life changing antidote to the cynical life we live in Britain. It can be different, and they have provided it for me.

This forum (for which we all owe Dimitris who runs it and pays for it) has seen me find dozens of new and very close friends. I often wonder who would be in that frame without it, and only the physical meetings in Arillas itself. I suspect most of them in truth.

Dimitri's words explain perfectly how I feel about the development of the place I have adopted as my spiritual home.

Quote

improve but not spoil our Arillas.

I could have written that phrase.

Like everyone, I am truly grateful that instead of decline, the actions of our dear friends whose home it is, have fought back and improved the chances of Arillas thriving in the future. I have a selfish interest of course - I want to spend the rest of my days either in or dreaming about being in an Arillas "improved but not spoiled."

Thank you Dimitris for that update - it's good (and interesting) to hear what is being done in Arillas. The local community certainly put in a great deal of hard work to keep it looking great and to also, most importantly, maintain that unique special atmosphere.

Looking forward being back home in Arillas next year and, in the meantime, hearing the updates and seeing the photos from relatives coming over this summer

Dimitris, you know me better than I know myself, we go back a few years so work out what I am getting to eat. See you next week, remember you can run but not hide.Love to all, M n M and 2 new probable recruits.